Do you remember what it was like to wait for the next episode of your favourite TV series? Many years ago, (before Netflix), we used to look forward to the next installment of a show all week long.
Some friends and I used to have a ritual for each week that we kept up for a long time. We prepared the TV series evening with some shopping for very healthy snacks like ice-cream, chips, candy and soda.
On the night of our show, we would get together after dinner, dish up our snacks, and make the TV room cosy with candles and pillows. Then the evening withMagnum and Dallas could begin.
Sue Ellen is walking down the stairs, not completely steady in her steps, she has a glass of whisky with ice-cubes in her swaying hand. It always made this clink clonk noise. Then, JR shows up, and here we go. Things are just beginning to get juicy, but then, oops, it‘s over, and we have to wait another week to find out what happened with Sue Ellen and JR, darn it.
Binge-Watch
Don’t you think it’s so cool with Netflix that you don't have to wait, you can binge-watch as many episodes as you want, whenever you want. Well, of course it can be a curse as well.
But they show new and fresh shows regularly. Recently the crime doc about Madelene McCann, a four-year-old girl who went missing in 2007 aired.
Probably you remember her too, it was all over the media everywhere. How could a girl go missing like that in such a safe environment? Absolutely horrible for her parents. And the girl, what happened to her?
Imagine being ripped away from your parents and everything you know. Maybe she was treated badly as well. The thought of this is so upsetting, what did this little girl go through?
To think about what might have been done to her is heartbreaking. How can anyone do such harm?
We are all repelled
Most of us are repelled when we hear about these crimes. How can they rip the baby away from her parents?
This horror is happening to thousands of human babies every year, and most of these crimes don’t get solved.
It is also happening to billions of non-human animal babies every year. But these are not seen as crimes. It is done with the blessing of our politicians and law-system and subsidized with our tax money.
The exploitation of the female body is the core element of the animal agriculture industry.
Like what happened to my friend Rose. At an early age, Rose was raped ( artificially inseminated), was pregnant for nine months, and had her baby ripped away from her a few hours after he was born. She was crying in vain for weeks afterwards, broken down.
This cruelty was all done just so we could take her milk, which was actually meant for her child.
This cycle repeated itself for another four years; then Rose was killed because she didn’t “produce“ enough milk anymore. She could have lived to the age of 25-30.
She never saw her children again. Her daughters were made into “milk-machines“ like herself, and her sons were killed at just a few months old, to be sold as calf-meat.
If you want to know more about what’s happening to our animal friends, have a look at this article about artificial insemination in animal factory farming.
Regardless of what we look like
Regardless of species, the relationship between mother and baby is a sacred one. Disrupting the bond between them is one of the most heartbreaking acts.
How can we make such a difference in the importance of mother-child relationships for humans and non-human animals?
Honestly, at the core, I don’t think we see it as different. Violence is violence and we don’t like it.
But we have been sheltered from what is really done to animals. And we have been socially conditioned to believe that it’s ok to use and abuse them because we are told it’s necessary. When the process is hidden from us, we don’t have the opportunity to tap into our natural compassion for the mother-child relationship. But we should make an effort to be aware of things that do not align with our core values, compassion being one of them.
Don’t forget, we all have a right to know what is actually going on in this world.
More information
Another great thing about Netflix is that besides binge-watching scandalous tv-series, you also have access to many good documentaries.
Wanna binge-watch great documentaries? Well then, here are a few suggestions:
Cowspiracy(about the environment)
Live and let live(about ethics and moral)
What the health (about our health)
Okja (animated film, drama)
I wholeheartedly recommend them. They are eye-opening and they will make you both think and feel.
And don’t forget, every dollar you spend is a vote for what you believe in. Next time you go to the supermarket, be more conscious of what you buy.
This month is Mother’s Day. Let’s celebrate all mothers and their babies, human and non-human mamas and babies.
And of course, a special shout out to my own mother and father. I can’t imagine what life would have been without you.
Happy Mother’s Day!
